葉

葉 U+8449, 葉 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8449 ← 葈 [U+8448] CJK Unified Ideographs 葊 → [U+844A]

葉 U+F96E, 葉 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F96E ← 省 [U+F96D] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 說 → [U+F96F]

Stroke order

Japan

葉 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+9, 12 (Japan), 13 (traditional Chinese) strokes, cangjie input 廿心廿木 (TPTD), four-corner 4490₄, composition ⿱艹枼)

• 僷, 𡢬, 𭜆, 𬀗, 瞸, 𮒅, 𠿚, 䭟, 䜓, 擛, 𨆡, 𢢲, 𬛚, 𰯏, 𣩨, 𣋑, 𩆏, 鐷, 㵩, 𤐌, 𣜿, 𤗽, 𡑢, 𥖢, 𠪸, 𧝵, 𩍣, 𥜈, 𨗸, 𩦭, 𫅠, 蠂, 𫊍, 𮓎

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1044, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 31387
• Dae Jaweon: page 1504, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3243, character 15
• Unihan data for U+8449

• Unihan data for U+F96E

trad.		葉
simp.		叶*

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hljeb, *leb) : semantic 艸 (“grass”) + phonetic 枼 (OC *leb, “flat”).

Possibly also ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) with 枼 (“leaf”) also acting as a semantic component.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-lap (“leaf”). Cognate with Tibetan ལོ་མ (lo ma, “leaf”), Western Tibetan ལོབ་མ (lob ma, “leaf”), Jingpho lap (“leaf”). Related to 世 (OC *hljebs, “world”).

This is part of the word family *lVp meaning “flat”, represented by the phonetic component 枼 (OC *leb). Compare also 茶 (OC *rlaː, “tea < *leaf”).

葉

1. leaf; petal (Classifier: 塊／块 c; 片 c)

   紅葉／红叶  ―  hóngyè  ―  red autumn leaves

2. era; epoch

   十九世紀中後葉／十九世纪中后叶  ―  shíjiǔ shìjì zhōng hòu yè  ―  middle and late 19th century

3. leaf-like thing

   肺葉／肺叶  ―  fèiyè  ―  lobe of the lung

   百葉窗／百叶窗  ―  bǎiyèchuāng  ―  Venetian blinds

4. Classifier for small boats.

   一葉扁舟／一叶扁舟  ―  yī yè piānzhōu  ―  a tiny boat

   • 1962, 鳳閣恩仇未了情:

     一葉輕舟去，人隔萬重山 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     一叶轻舟去，人隔万重山 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     jat¹ jip⁶ hing¹ zau¹ heoi³, jan⁴ gaak³ maan⁶ cung⁴ saan¹ [Jyutping]

     You've left in a light boat, and we are separated by ten thousand mountains

   • 2022, “某種老朋友 [Stranger]”, 林夕 [Albert Leung] (lyrics), 澤日生 [Christopher Chak] (music)‎^[1]performed by 林家謙 [Terence Lam]:

     能暫時懷念某種老朋友　不過未能共享一葉舟 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     能暂时怀念某种老朋友　不过未能共享一叶舟 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     nang⁴ zaam⁶ si⁴ waai⁴ nim⁶ mau⁵ zung² lou⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵, bat¹ gwo³ mei⁶ nang⁴ gung⁶ hoeng² jat¹ jip⁶ zau¹ [Jyutping]

     I can temporarily reminisce about some sort of old friend, but I cannot share a boat with them

5. Alternative form of 頁／页 (“page”)
6. a surname

   葉飛／叶飞  ―  Yè Fēi  ―  Ye Fei (Chinese military general and politician of the People's Republic of China)

• → English: Ye, Yeh, Yip, Ip, Yap, Yeap
• → Tagalog: Yap

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

葉

1. (～縣) Ye County, Henan, China
2. a surname

葉

1. (Min) Alternative form of 箬 (“leaf”)

• “Entry #10004”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: しょう (shō)^{←せふ (sefu, historical)}、よう (yō, Jōyō)^{←えふ (efu, historical)}
• Kan-on: しょう (shō)^{←せふ (sefu, historical)}、よう (yō, Jōyō)^{←えふ (efu, historical)}
• Kun: は (ha, 葉, Jōyō)
• Nanori: よ (yo)、わ (wa)

Kanji in this term
葉
は Grade: 3
kun'yomi

/pa/ → /ɸa/ → /ha/

From Old Japanese,^[1] from Proto-Japonic *pa.

Probably cognate with Old Japanese verb 生ゆ (hayu, “to sprout, to grow”) → modern 生える (haeru), and with 羽 (ha, “feather; wing”).

Suggested in some sources as possibly cognate with 歯 (ha, “tooth”) from the way that both sprout and then later fall,^[2] and with 刃 (ha, “blade”) from similarities in shape (cf. English blade). However, the pitch accent patterns are different; 葉 and 羽 are both unaccented, while 歯 and 刃 are both accented. This may reflect two disparate *pa roots in the ancient language.

First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE with the phonetic spelling 波.^[1]

Cognate with Okinawan 葉 (fā).

• (Tokyo) は [hà] (Heiban – [0])^[3]
• IPA^(key): [ha̠]

葉(は) • (ha)  (counter 枚)

1. leaf, needle, blade (of a plant)

• 葉(は)っぱ (happa)

Kanji in this term
葉
よう Grade: 3
on'yomi

/epu/ → /efu/ → /eu/ → /joː/

From Middle Chinese 葉 (MC yep, “leaf”).

• (Tokyo) よー [yóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[3]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞ː]

葉(よう) • (yō) ^{←えふ (efu)?}

1. leaf, needle, blade (of a plant)
2. a season, an age: a shorter period of time within a longer one
3. an administration: the period of time during which a certain person holds a certain office

葉(よう) • (-yō) ^{←えふ (-efu)?}

1. (rare) counter for flat, thin things such as leaves or paper
2. (by extension) counter for small boats

From Middle Chinese 葉 (MC yep).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	엽〮 (Yale: yép)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
	Gloss (hun)	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[2]	닙〮 (Yale: níp)	엽 (Yale: yep)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [jʌ̹p̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [엽]

Wikisource

葉 (eumhun 잎 엽 (ip yeop))

1. hanja form^? of 엽 (“leaf”) [affix]

From Middle Chinese 葉 (MC syep).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	셥〮 (Yale: syép)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹p̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [섭]

葉 (eumhun 땅 이름 섭 (ttang ireum seop))

1. hanja form^? of 섭 (“A surname.”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [3]

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: ぱー (phā, 葉)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.

• IPA^(key): /pʰaː/

葉(ぱー) (phā) 

1. leaf

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: ぱー (pā, 葉)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.

• IPA^(key): /paː/

葉(ぱー) (pā) 

1. leaf

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: ふぁー (fā, 葉)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa. Cognate with mainland Japanese 葉 (ha).

• IPA^(key): /ɸaː/

葉(ふぁー) (fā) 

1. leaf

   クロトンぬ葉(ふぁー)や色(いる)清(じゅ)らさぬ、いくちん集(あち)みてぃ植(っゐー)らっとーん。

   Kuroton-nu fā-ya iru jurasanu, ikuchin achimiti 'wīrattōn.

   (please add an English translation of this example)

• “ふぁー【葉】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

葉: Hán Nôm readings: diệp, diếp, dợp, dớp, đẹp, giấp, giẹp, nhịp, riếp, dào

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: ぱー (pā, 葉)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.

• IPA^(key): /paː/

葉(ぱー) (pā) 

1. leaf

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: はー (hā, 葉)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.

• IPA^(key): /haː/

葉(はー) (hā) 

1. leaf